The Department of Defense (DoD) has released the Fiscal Year 2026 Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP), a funding initiative aimed at enhancing research capabilities and research-related education in areas critical to national defense. The DURIP program is one component of the DoD’s broader University Research Initiatives and is administered by three agencies: the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), the Army Research Office (ARO), and the Office of Naval Research (ONR). This program supports the acquisition of major research equipment and instrumentation by U.S. institutions of higher education, thereby strengthening their ability to conduct DoD-relevant scientific research and train future scientists and engineers.

DURIP awards are intended for the purchase of major equipment or instrumentation costing between $50,000 and $3,000,000, with exceptions possible under limited conditions. AFOSR will not consider requests exceeding $7,000,000, even with cost sharing. Each administering agency will determine the appropriate form of award, either as grants (standard for AFOSR and ONR) or grants/cooperative agreements (for ARO). The expected total funding available under this opportunity is approximately $34 million, contingent upon congressional appropriations. Awards are generally limited to a 12-month performance period, with an option for a no-cost extension of up to an additional 12 months.

Eligible applicants include accredited U.S. institutions of higher education with degree-granting programs in science, mathematics, or engineering. University Affiliated Research Centers are eligible, but Federally Funded Research and Development Centers and for-profit institutions are not. There are no limits on the number of proposals or awards per institution, and matching funds are not required. Applicants must use the Grants.gov portal for submission and are advised to contact technical program officers before submission to discuss mutual research interests.

Applications must be received by April 25, 2025, at 5:00 PM Eastern Time, and all pre-proposal inquiries or questions must be submitted no later than April 11, 2025. Applications must be validated by Grants.gov within the deadline, which may take up to 48 hours post-submission. Proposals must follow the detailed format and submission instructions provided, including the use of specified forms such as the SF-424 and budget justifications. Proposals are expected to include detailed narratives explaining how the requested equipment will enhance DoD-funded or relevant research and research-related education.

Evaluation criteria include the impact of the proposed equipment on DoD-funded or prospective research, the importance of the research to DoD missions, and the potential for enhancing educational capabilities. Review and selection processes involve both technical and business evaluations, and a risk-based security review process is applied to all covered individuals involved in the proposal. Selected awardees will be notified by email, and award documents will be issued by the respective DoD contracting offices. Post-award administrative and reporting requirements, including adherence to national policy and financial regulations, are outlined in detail in the full NOFO document.

For questions, applicants can contact the respective technical and business points of contact. For AFOSR: Ms. Katie Wisecarver (afosr.rtb.durip@us.af.mil), for ARO: Dr. Sue Kase (usarmy.rtp.devcom-arl.mbx.aro-durip@army.mil), and for ONR: Dr. Amanda Netburn (onr.ncr.durip@us.navy.mil). Business points of contact include Mr. Jorge Gallegos for AFOSR, Ms. Ramila Century for ARO, and Ms. Veronica Lacey for ONR.